France wins the SailGP in Sassnitz – Germany in 5th place!

France wins the SailGP in Sassnitz – Germany in 5th place!

On August 17, 2025, Sassnitz on Rügen experienced a top-class sporting spectacle when SailGP guested. This international sailing racing series, founded in 2018 by Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts, brought together 12 teams from around the world to compete on F50 foiling catamarans. In the exciting final, the French team prevailed against strong competitors from Australia and Great Britain.

The Germans, who competed with ex-Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel at the helm of the racing catamaran, narrowly missed out on making it to the final and ultimately took 5th place. Nevertheless, Vettel caused excitement among the 13,000 spectators and it was definitely progress after the team had been second to last in the standings before this season. A small ray of hope for the fans: Germany won the first race on Saturday.

Victorious despite adversity

France's success was all the more impressive because they were able to achieve victory despite breaking their rudder in training. In the SailGP Since the first season in 2019, several Grand Prix have been held worldwide. The championship has now established itself as a high-class event and for the current season the Spanish team under Diego Botín is the defending champion.

The SailGP is not only designed for performance, but also for sustainability. The SailGP Impact League promotes inclusion and environmental awareness within the teams. Sebastian Vettel is setting a good example and auctioning off a helmet for an inclusion project in sailing, which shows that commitment goes beyond the purely sporting.

A long breath for Sassnitz

There is great anticipation for the coming years, because the SailGP will stop in Sassnitz again in 2026 and 2027. The organizers have announced a long-term commitment to races in Germany, which should also strengthen the host cities economically. Sassnitz already had a sold-out first day at the debut of the Germany Sail Grand Prix, and with a new speed record of 103.93 km/h, the event was one of the highlights of the local sports history sail-world.com emphasized.

For SailGP, it's not just sporting competitions that are important, but also the opportunities to win and collect points, culminating in a match race finale where the winner receives a whopping $1 million. The format with five races per event makes the events exciting and attractive for spectators and participants alike.

It is clear that the SailGP will continue to have a permanent place in the international sailing scene and should once again fuel events in Sassnitz. It remains to be seen how the German team will perform before their next appearance at home and whether they will make it onto the podium!